Clients find photographers on ShutterMatch in a few ways: the Browse Photographers page (keyword search, category filters, city and distance, and sorting), category pages like Wedding Photography, city pages, Google, and links you share yourself.

Every one of those depends on details you control in your dashboard. This guide walks through each one, in the order that matters most.

1. Get the basics right: photo and display name

Your profile photo and display name appear on every search result card, so they are the first thing a client sees.

  • Profile photo: Use a clear, well-lit photo of yourself. Clients are booking a person, and a friendly face builds trust faster than a logo.
  • Display name: Use the name clients would actually type, such as "Jane Doe" or "Jane Doe Photography". Keyword search looks at your display name, so a name people remember helps repeat clients and referrals find you.

You can change both anytime from Edit Profile in your dashboard.

2. Set your location from the suggestions list

When you edit your location, start typing your city and pick it from the suggestions that appear. Choosing a suggestion saves your city and your position on the map.

That matters because clients can search within 5 to 100 miles of a place and sort results by Nearest. Your city also decides which city pages you can appear on, and city search matches on the city name you saved.

If you move or start working in a new area, update your location right away.

3. Write a bio that answers a client's first questions

Keyword search reads your bio, so write it in the plain words clients use. A good bio covers three things:

  1. What you shoot and where. Name the kinds of sessions you do and the towns or areas you serve.
  2. Your style and what working with you is like. Natural light or studio? Posed or candid? Relaxed or directed?
  3. What to do next. Invite clients to message you with their date and ideas.

Example: "I photograph weddings, engagements, and family sessions around Modesto, Turlock, and the Central Valley. My style is natural and candid — lots of golden-hour light and very little stiff posing. Send me a message with your date and what you have in mind, and I will put together a quote."

Write for people, not search engines. A bio stuffed with repeated keywords reads badly and will not win you the booking.

4. Name your services so you show up in categories

This is the step most photographers miss.

When a client taps a category — on the Browse page or a category page such as Family Photography — ShutterMatch shows photographers whose service names include that category's word. The categories are Wedding, Portrait, Event, Lifestyle, Commercial, Family, and Graduation.

When you add a service in Services & Pricing, the preset names already match categories:

  • Wedding Photography appears under Wedding
  • Portrait Session appears under Portrait
  • Family Portrait appears under both Family and Portrait
  • Event Coverage appears under Event
  • Lifestyle Session appears under Lifestyle
  • Commercial Photography appears under Commercial
  • Graduation Photos appears under Graduation

The other presets — Engagement Session, Newborn/Baby, Real Estate, Food Photography, and Pet Photography — do not match a category page. Neither does a custom name like "Golden Hour Mini". Those services still appear in keyword search, but not when a client browses by category.

The fix is simple: if you use a custom name, include the category word. "Golden Hour Family Mini Session" shows up under Family; "Engagement Portrait Session" shows up under Portrait.

Give every service a price and a real description

  • Set a starting price. Your profile card shows your lowest price as "From $X". Services without a price show "Contact for pricing", and when clients sort by price, profiles without one are listed after those that have one.
  • Describe what is included. Say how long the session is, roughly how many edited photos the client gets, and how soon you deliver. Keyword search reads service descriptions too, so specifics like "headshots", "newborn", or "quinceañera" help the right clients find you.
  • Offer two or three options. A short session, a standard session, and a larger package give clients an easy way to say yes.

Prices on your profile are starting rates. You will send each client an exact offer later, so you do not need to list every variation.

5. Build a portfolio that sells your style

Manage your work in Portfolio in your dashboard.

  • Upload your best work, not all of it. Start with at least a handful of strong images, then add more over time. Consistent editing tells clients what their photos will look like.
  • Feature your top pieces. Tap the star on up to 10 items to feature them. Featured items appear in the Featured Work section near the top of your profile, so choose the images that best represent the work you want to be booked for.
  • Organize with albums. Group work into albums such as "Weddings" or "Family Sessions". Clients can filter your portfolio by album, so a family client does not have to scroll through weddings.
  • Add captions and locations. A short caption and where it was shot help clients picture their own session.
  • Include video if you offer it. You can upload MP4 or MOV files, or paste a YouTube or Vimeo link.

6. Link your Instagram and website

Add your Instagram and website URLs in Edit Profile in your dashboard. They appear on your profile and give careful clients more of your work to look at before they message you.

7. Connect Stripe before your first offer

Clients pay through Stripe, and a client cannot pay you until your Stripe setup is fully complete. If a client accepts your offer before you have connected Stripe, the booking stalls at payment.

Connect Stripe from your dashboard as soon as your profile is live. Once a client pays, funds go to your connected Stripe account and are paid out to your bank on your Stripe payout schedule.

Joining ShutterMatch is free. A 5% platform fee comes out of your price when you are paid, and the card processing fee is added to the client's total, so it does not reduce your payout. See How It Works for the full breakdown and a payout calculator.

8. Earn reviews early

The default sort on the Browse page is Top Rated, and profiles with ratings are listed ahead of profiles without any. Your first few reviews make a real difference to how often clients see you.

  • Only clients who booked you through ShutterMatch can leave a review, so every review is from a real booking.
  • Clients can leave a review from their booking page once they have paid.
  • After you deliver the photos, ask happy clients to take a minute to review you.
  • Reply to reviews from Reviews in your dashboard. A thoughtful reply shows future clients how you treat people.

For the full booking flow, read From First Message to Five-Star Review.

9. Check your analytics and adjust

Portfolio Analytics in your dashboard shows your profile views, portfolio views, conversion rate, and your most popular portfolio items over the last 30 days.

Use it to make changes: feature the pieces clients look at most, and if views are high but messages are low, revisit your bio, prices, and service descriptions.

Profile checklist

  1. Clear profile photo and a display name clients will remember
  2. Location chosen from the suggestions list
  3. Bio that covers what you shoot, where, your style, and what to do next
  4. Service names that include a category word
  5. A starting price and a detailed description on every service
  6. Up to 10 featured portfolio items, organized into albums
  7. Instagram and website linked
  8. Stripe fully connected
  9. A plan to ask every happy client for a review

Ready to build or update your profile? Sign up as a photographer, or open your dashboard to make changes.